News

Labor bill to force ministers to declare ‘rorts’

Labor will introduce a bill requiring ministers to report when they approve grants rejected by their departments or when they award grants in their own electorates, in an effort...

Final countdown for 2021 Award entries

Are you one of Australia’s brilliant entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers or commercialisation heroes? We want to hear from you! The clock is ticking toward the deadline for those innovative companies...

Debanking risks ‘undermining’ local tech sector

The increasingly common practice of large financial providers “debanking” Australian tech firms is a “significant threat to competition” and risks “undermining” the growth of the local sector, a Parliamentary...

Australia’s ‘prototype’ for regional transformation

Newcastle’s mission to diversify its economy and capitalise on a rapidly shifting export market through innovation is a “prototype” for the rest of Australia, according to Newcastle Port chair...

Data and Digital Council progress on identity

State and federal ministers charged with digital transformation efforts have agreed to the need for legislation to enshrine privacy and consumer protections, and governance and oversights into law to...

Uber breached 1.2m Australians’ privacy

Uber breached 1.2 million Australian customers’ privacy when it failed to protect their data from a cyber attack in 2016, the Privacy Commissioner has determined after a three and...

Tech Central to add space research network

A new Space Research Network linking industry, academic research and government will be established at Sydney’s Tech Central precinct with $1.4 million in state government funding. The University of...

NDIS tech still in ‘infancy’, nearly 10 years later

The tech system underpinning the National Disability Insurance Scheme is still in its “infancy” despite being launched nearly a decade ago, and this was compounded by the agency being...

Interview: Christian Porter on the industry portfolio

Industry, Science and Technology minister Christian Porter has mapped a layered set of priorities for Australia’s manufacturing-led recovery that preserves existing jobs, plugs supply-chain and capability gaps, and keeps...

Nation-building moonshots and why they matter

It is 52 years since the first person walked on the moon. The day that Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins landed on the moon was one of...

Govt hunts for FOI Commissioner

The search is on for a Freedom of Information Commissioner after the federal government provided $1 million in funding to establish the position, as the nation’s privacy office battles...

Vic govt seeks manager for new ‘fund of funds’

The Victorian government is on the hunt for a manager of its $120 million “fund of funds” which will back early-stage tech firms in the state. The Victorian Startup...

Foreign funds are being discouraged: AIC

The lack of common investment vehicles first promised by the Coalition five years ago is acting as a handbrake on foreign capital entering Australia, according to the peak investment...